Articulated track vehicle



Feb 4,, 11936 H. LIECHTY fi fi ARTICULATED TRACK VEHICLE Filed July 26,1932 INVENTOR fi er/714 77 L 2 ATTO RN EY UNITED s'raqes PATENT orr es.

ARTICULATED TRACK VEHICLE Hermann Liechty, Bern, Switzerland ApplicationJuly 26, 1932, Serial No. 624,827 In Switzerland August 5, 1931 1 Claim.(Cl. 105-3) The present invention relates to a track veframe can turn orrotate about this pin a relahicle consisting of three vehicle partspivotally tive to the end part a. as well as describe sliding connectedtogether, whereby the central vehicle movement longitudinally. Inexactly the same part rests on two single axis pivots. Each of mannerframe a is rotatable on the central part these pivots is rotatablymounted at one end on a about the pin 19 and, by means of a coupling 5 apin of the central vehicle part, and its other g disposed rotatably andlongitudinally slidably end is disposed rotatably and at the same timeon a pin g of part a The construction of the longitudinally slidably ona pin of the abutting pins b, b and g 9 is obvious to all skilled in endvehicle part, whereby the length of the centhe art and need no detailedexplanation here.

10 tral vehicle part is determined by the formula As may be seen fromFig. 1, bearing the same 10 g a. +b wherein f designates the halfreference characters for the same parts as Fig. 4, length of the centralvehicle part, 9 the distance on traversing curves, by means of the pins9 of the wheel axle of each end vehicle part from g moving toward theoutside of the curve, the the connecting point to the central vehiclepart, pivot frames 0, c are carried along by means of b the distance ofthe connecting point of each their couplings g, g and at the same timerotate 15 pivot on the central vehicle part from the central about pinsb and il The diagram of Fig. 3 point of this vehicle part, and a thedistance of shows why, in this rotation of frame 0 or 0- the pivot axisfrom said connecting point. their axes are adjusted radially to thecurve.

Through this arrangement the end vehicle This figure shows a curve thecenter of which parts, on traversing curves, control the pivot is at m(below Fig. 4). m designates the center 20 frame axles so that theyadjust themselves to the line of the track 112 If the axis of the frameis curve, without it being necessary that the longito be radial in thecurve the longitudinal axis 11. tudinal central line of the central partform a of the pivot frame must form a tangent on the tangent at thetrack central line. As a result the central line m. Then, as shown inFig. 3, the

central vehicle part can be given a greater triangles formed with theradii r, e, d, c, etc. 25 length than hitherto possible. The capacity ofare all right angle triangles, and the following the vehicle issubstantially increased thereby. relations apply:

The invention is illustrated for better oomprer +d =d (1) hension on theaccompanying drawing. d =c +b (2) Fig. l is a diagrammatic view frombelow show- 30 ing the arrangement of the pivot frames and from Whlchfollows that their connecting points on the vehicle, c =r -|-a --b (3)Fig. 2 is a similar diagrammatic view of a modalso iflcation, e =j +cFig. 3 is a diagram for deriving the formula 35 for calculating theposition of the connecting or (accordmg to Equation 3) point and thelength of the central vehicle part, e =f +r +a -b Fig. 4 is a plan viewof the vehicle shown in since Fig. 1, but showing only the vehiclechassis with e =r +g (4) the pivotal frames, with the vehicle bodies itfollows from 40 omitted. 2 2 2 z The vehicle of Fig. 4 consists of threevehicle or T +9 f +T b parts a, a a Hereinafter the part a is desigg2f2+a2 b2 nated as the central part and a, 0. as the end parts. Each twoabutting vehicle parts are con- A comparison of Fig. 3 with Fig. 1 thusshows 45 nected together by means of pins 6 and 6 which that: engage ineyelets of the frames of the vehicle 9 iS the d a of point 6 from 33 hparts. The central part a rests on two pivotal (or the distance of pointe from axle h frames 0 and 0 Each frame has a wheel axle j is the halflength of the central vehicle part d and al while each end vehicle parta and a. a 50 rests on an axle h and h The pivot frame 0 is a is thedistance of the connecting pin b or b connected at one end to a pin battached to the from the pivot frame axle d or d frame of the centralvehicle part. Its other end b is the distance of the pin b or b from theis provided with a coupling 0 which engages on a central point of theframe of the central part 0. pin 9 of the end vehicle part, so that thepivot The axles d, d (Figs. 1 and 4) thus actually 56 adjust themselvesradially on curves with the described selection of the connecting points1), b g g whereby however the lines e, 5 that is, the longitudinal axisof the central vehicle part, as shown on Figs. 1 and 3, need not form atangent at the central line of the track. It is of course, obvious thatthe vehicle described can be constructed otherwise also, so that thecouplings g or 9' of each pivot frame engages with pin 12 or b andwhereby the other end of each pivot frame is connected only rotatablywith the corresponding end of the wagon or vehicle part.

The embodiment of Fig. 2 differs from the In a track vehicle, thecombination of threevehicle parts which are pivotally inter-connected,with two single axle pivot frames, which carry the central vehicle part,the two ends of each pivot frame being rotatably arranged at twoabutting vehicle parts and also one of said pivot frame ends being atthe same time connected longitudinally slidably with one of said vehicleparts.

HERMANN LIECH'I'Y.

